U.S. House Speaker Signals Readiness to Work with White House on Russia Sanctions
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said Congress is prepared to move forward with new sanctions against Russia, emphasizing that lawmakers are willing to work with the White House and Senate to advance measures aimed at ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The Gaze reports this referring to CBS News.
In an interview with the American media, Johnson described sanctions as long overdue and argued that there is strong bipartisan momentum in Congress to act.
He stressed that lawmakers are ready to coordinate with President Donald Trump’s administration to bring the initiative into law.
“I do believe that desperate times call for desperate measures, and I think appropriate sanctions on Russia are far overdue. I mean, I think there's a big appetite for that in Congress, so we're willing to work with the White House and our Senate colleagues in the House to get that done and I'm anxious to do it, personally,” Johnson said.
Asked about the president’s stance, Johnson said that the final word rests with Trump. “Congress really can't do this on its own volition because, of course, the President would need to sign whatever we do into law. So it has to be a partnership, but we defer to the commander in chief,” he explained.
Later, Johnson portrayed Trump as a decisive leader on the global stage who seeks to bring the war to an end. He added that Americans broadly support efforts to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine.
“He [Trump] has brokered peace around the world and other conflicts in a way that no one before him has been able to do, and so we're trusting that he can use that same force and that same approach to bring about, finally, an end to this war in Ukraine. Everyone in America wants that bloodshed to end, and President Trump is forcing that,” Johnson stated.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Senator Lindsey Graham, joined by Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, proposed attaching a Russia sanctions bill to the resolution on continued federal government funding. The strategy is designed to accelerate the passage of punitive measures against Moscow.